Apparatus for sterilizing water.



L. MAICHE.

APPARATUS FOR STE'BILIZING WATER.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.)

(N o Model.)

THE Nonms gzfzns coi. Pnwou'nm, WASHINGTON. D4 c.

Patented Dec. l9, I899.

2 Sheath-Sheet l.

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No. 639,592. Patented Dec. l9, I899.

- L. MAICHE.

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING WATER.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

m: ucamsrrrzm co., PM xumou WASHINGTON. n. c.

NITED STATES PATENT mes.

LoUIs MAICHE, or PARIS, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR STERILIZING WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,592, dated December 19, 1899. Application filed April 10, 1899. Serial No- 712 A69. (No model.)

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, LOUIS MAICHE, a citizen of France, residing at 368 Rue St. Honor, Paris, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Sterilizing Water, (for which I have made application for a patent in Great Britain, dated September 17, 1898, No. 19,782,) of which the following is a specification.

In the specification of Patent No. 597,994, dated January 25, 1898, is described apparatus for sterilizing water by heating it to a temperature sufficient to kill the bacilli and subsequently cooling it, the process being conducted in closed vessels, so that the cooled water retains in solution all the air and gases which it originally contained.

The present invention relates to improvements in the construction and arrangement of apparatus of this kind, and more especially in appliances combined with it for automatically regulating the supply of water and the heat.

The construction and operation of the apparatus will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, and Fig. 2 is a 'sectional plan. Fig. 3 is a section of the regulator drawn to an enlarged scale.

The apparatus comprises three main parts, a heater A, a pipe 'casing B, containing a double coil of concentric pipes, and a tube-casing 0, containing a set of tubes. The heater A is a vessel surrounded by a helical flue or within a jacket a, so that the hot products of combustion from a gas-burner G or other suitable source of heat'after ascending hel ically around a descend the annular space between a and the outer casing a and pass away by a chimney a The double pipe, consisting of two concentric pipes the one Within the other, has a descending limb b, leading to the'lowest convolution of an inner coil 1), which at the top is connected to the highest convolution of an outer coil 17 All the spaces in pipe-casing B between the coils and their convolutions are filled with material which is a bad conductor of heatsuch, for instance, as slag-wool. From the lowest convolution of the outer coil 6 the concentric pipes lead separately, the one, o, to the lower part of the tube casing G and the other, d, to a bottom chamber D, which communicates by the vertical tubes 61 With top chamber E, in which are arranged a number of collecting-plates e, having holes through them so situated that no hole in any plate is in the same vertical line with holes in the plate next above and below it. The plates e are strung on a central rod with washers as distance-pieces between them, and they can all be lifted out on removing the cover of E. Instead of perforated plates suitable collecting medium in other forms may be used, presenting interstices for passage of the water. From the upper part of the tube-casing O a pipe d leads to nearly the bottom of the heater A, and from the chamber E a pipe 6 connects to the top of the heater A. The tube-casing O is inclosed in a casing c, filled with material which is a bad conductor of heat.

Besides the main parts of the apparatus above described there is a regulator K for antomatically regulating the heat and the supply of water. It comprises two vessels It covered by corrugated elastic diaphragms it like those employed for aneroid barometers. Each of these diaphragms isconnected by a stem k to a lever-arm 10 7t, urged downward by springs it. The ends of these arms rest on the stem of a valve Z in abox L, having an inlet Z, connected by a pipe Z to the inner of the concentric pipes of the coil, and having from its outlet a pipe Z by which the sterilized water is drawn 01f. On the arm 70 is a blade-spring 70 immediately under the stem of a valve Z in a box M, having an inlet connected to the gas-supply m and an outlet connected by a pipe m to the burner G. The vessel 70 is connected by a pipe n to a closed vessel N, immersed in the water in the heater A. The vessel 70 is connected by a connection Z with the water-supply pipe H. All the pipe connections are preferably made with unions, so as to be readily separable for cleaning or repair.

The apparatus operates as follows: Water supplied from an elevated cistern or from a water-main through a suitable pressure-rea filter enters by the pipe H the outer of the two concentric pipes and after flowing through the coils passes by the pipe 0 to the casing O, in which it ascends around the tubes (1. From the top of G the water, partially heated, flows by the pipe (1 to the heater A, in which it is further heated. From A the heated Water flows to the top chamber E, and in passing through the holes of the plates 6 in a zigzag course deposits on these plates or their equivalent matters suspended in the water, which continues its flow through the tubes d down to D, thence by the pipe at to the inner pipe of the coils in B, and being finally discharged by the pipe Z after passing through the valve-box L and the pipe l, when a regulator is employed. Thus the cold water, while it passes through the pipe-coils in pipe-casing B and the tubecasing 0, becomes gradually heated while it cools the heated water, and the heated water conversely becomes gradually cooled while it heats the cold water, the interchange of heat being such that very little additional heating is required to be imparted in the heater A except such as is necessary to make up for losses by radiation and conduction.

The operation of the regulator K is as follows: When the temperature in the heater A exceeds a certain limit, steam generated in the vessel N, which contains a little water passing by the pipe n to the vessel raises the diaphragm and the arm 70 so as to close more or less the valve in the box M, thus reducing more or less the gas-flame. Preferably the gas-pipe is provided with a small bypass, so as to maintain a kindling light when the valve in M is quite closed. When the temperature falls too low,the arm k descends, depressing the stem of the valve in L, and thereby more or less closing the outlet for the sterilized water. The other part of the regulator acts only when the pressure of the water-supply happens to be too low, in which case the arm 7& descends, depressing the stem of the valve in -L, and so more or less closing the outlet for the sterilized water until the pressure in the apparatus rises. Wires attached to the arms 7& and 76 point to graduations on scales, which can be seen through the glazed front of the regulator.

Having-thus described the nature of this invention and the best means I know for carrying the same into effect, I claim-- 1. A water-sterilizin g apparatus,consistin of a water-heater A, apipe-casing 13, two pipecoils b, b, in the latter, a tube-casing C arranged outside said pipe-casing and having bottom and top chambers D, E, respectively, the tubes (2 connecting said chambers, a collecting medium e in the top chamber, a water-supply pipe H connecting with one of said pipe-coils, pipes 0, cl, connecting the pipecoils respectively with the tube-casing and the bottom chamber thereof, a pipe (1 leading from the top portion of the tube-casing to of a water-heater A, a pipe-casingB, two pipecoils b, b, in the latter, a tube-casing O having bottom and top chambers D, E, respectively, tubes d connecting said chambers, a

collecting medium a in the top chamber, a

water-supply pipe H connected with one of said pipe-coils, pipes c, d, connecting the pipecoils respectively with the tube-casing and the bottom chamber thereof, a pipe at leading from the top portion of the tube-casing to near the bottom of the water-heater, a pipe e leading from said top chamber to the top of the water-heater, a sterilized-water outlet l communicating with one of saidlpi pe-coils, a gas-burner for heating the water-heater, valves for regulating the flow of gas to the burner and through thesterilized-Water outlet, and an automatic heat and fiowregulator controlling the said valves, operated by varying temperature in the water-heater and regulating the flow of gas to the burner and the outlet of the sterilized water, substantially as described.

3. A water-sterilizing apparatus,consisting of a water-heater A, a pipe-casing l5, two'pipecoils Z), Z) in the latter, a tube-casing O, having bottom and top chambers D, E, tubes (1 connecting said chambers, a water-supply II leading to one of the .pipe'coils, pipes 0, (Z connecting the pi pe-coils respectively with the tube-casing and the bottom chamber thereof, a pipe (1 leading from the top portion of the tube-casing to near the bottom of the waterheater, a pipe 6 leading from said top chamber to the top of the water-heater, a sterilized water-outlet Z communicating with one of said pipe'coils, aburner for heating the waterheater, a valve-box M for conveying combustible fluid to the burner, a valve-box L for conducting the sterilized water to the outlet, valves arranged respectively in said valveboxes, at liquid-heating vessel N in the waterheater,and an automatic regulator comprising vessels having diaphragms and communicating respectively With said water-supply pipe and the liquid-heating vessel in the waterheater, and levers connected with said diaphragms and constructed to control the valves in said valveboxes, substantially as described.

4. In a water-sterilizin g apparatus,the combination with a water-heater, two pipe-coils through which the water to besterilized flows, means for conveying the water from one pipecoil to the water-heater and from the latter to the other pi pe-coil, a water-supply for one pipe-coil, a sterilized-water outlet from the other pipe-coi1, and a burner for heating the water-heater, of valves which respectively IIO my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS MAICHE.

. Witnesses:

JACQUES OBRIEN, EDWARD P. MAOLEAN. 

